Feathers
by Extrinsical
Summary: There was despair in Limietta's tone, and Fate knew this wasn't a hoax or a bad joke gone wrong in twenty ways. Deep NanoFate friendship. Spoiler heavy.
1. I

Posted: 16/06/2007  
1st Revision: 17/06/2007 (Fixed error: 'Head concussion' to 'concussion')  
2nd Revision: 24/06/2007 (Beta-ed.)

A few things before you read this story, my dear readers.

1. This is extremely spoiler heavy, so it would be best that you have watched MGLN, MGLN A's, and Nanoha StrikerS up till episode 9. And the manga as well, if entirely possible. Certain parts will make more sense if you do. I will also be following it to as canon as possible, but I make no guarantees. The keyword here is, I _try_.

2. This story begins two years after the events of MGLN A's. But, technically, it will be spoilers for StrikerS. Our main characters are at the age of eleven.

3. I would like it if you have the song I stated just a little further below to listen as you read the story. But it's always your choice, of course. If you want to, you can always drop me a pm or nudge me in my livejournal (link in bio), and I will get it uploaded for you.

4. There's a serious lack of fictions in Nanoha section. Only 2 pages! Oh, woe is me...(Edit: Us; my beta and I. XD) So this is a call to all writers. It's a sad, sad thing to see so few fics in here. Seriously.

5. Enjoy. XD

-o-

_**Feathers**  
__Part I  
_

_"Namida no Imi, Negai no Yukue"  
- Hiraoki Sano, MGLN A's Special CD Soundtrack Plus Vol. 5._

-o-

_"Fate-chan."_

_Someone shook her shoulder lightly. _

_"Come on, Fate-chan."_

_Blond eyebrows furrowed, __eyes stayed shut__. She felt drowsy. Awfully drowsy._

_"Fate-chan!" A warm hand shook her more firmly._

_"Nghh..." Deep burgundy eyes squinted._

_The sunlight glared back at her, making her wince. _

_Vision blurry, __she _peered at_ blue eyes__, with a hint of purple, which looked at her in warm amusement. There was a halo - reflection of the light? - above the sun-kissed brown hair._

_"What time did you__ go to sleep last night, Fate-chan?"_

_Nanoha?_

-o-

"See! I knew you'd pass!" Arf tackled her, hugging her tightly.

"A-Arf," stammered Fate, stumbling a little. Oh, yes, she stumbled. Arf tackled her so frequently that she had grown used to it, expecting hugs and glomps out of nowhere - and at the same time, she had also learnt to keep her balance the hard way.

For her to stumble...was indeed proof that she had been very, very stunned by the results. She stared at the certificate in her hands.

"S-class! You're an S-class mage! That's literally the third-highest ranking mage, Fate!"

"Congratulations, Fate-chan," beamed Lindy. The older woman poked the eleven year old girl on the forehead, which made her step back a little. "Now, didn't I tell you it was nothing to worry about? You did well."

The young blonde had the grace to look sheepish.

"Next will be the test for Enforcers...which is next week," mused the admiral. "Don't celebrate too much," she teased, "You still need to stay prepared."

Fate nodded, a slight pink tint on her cheeks. It wasn't her fault the last celebration - one that Nanoha and some others had conspired about behind her back - went haywire. No, sir. Definitely not her fault. Nanoha, Arisa, Suzuka and Hayate..._especially_ Hayate. That girl had an angel's smile, but looks were very deceiving. It was not something she cared to repeat, and it was certainly not something she would willingly talk about.

But even so...

She smiled. Or grinned, more like, in a rare show of emotions. She had practiced long and hard, revised and reviewed, and to find out she passed, it felt...great. No. More than great. It was exhilarating. Almost...almost unreal.

It was thrilling. She felt like she could tackle the Enforcer's exam right then and there and be confident she would pass.

_She should have known better._

The PDA in Lindy's pocket began to rang.

Fate glanced at it as the older woman took it out. She recognized the ring tone. Generally, the admiral - who was her...mother, now - had three different ring tones; one for family, one for work, and one for emergencies.

It was the last that blared from her electronic device.

_"Admiral Harlaown!"_

A flat, glowing hologram appeared, hovering above the device.

Amy. She sounded anxious.

"Yes?"

The younger officer's gaze darted to Fate for a moment, fear in her eyes.

Something was wrong, the blonde realized dimly.

_"I..." _Limietta hesitated. _"Vita-chan and Nanoha-__chan have been __transported back here through the emergency portal."_

Fate suddenly couldn't breathe. Emergency portal...that means it was of the greatest urgency. Something...what...

Lindy frowned. "Report."

Amy and Fate both recognized that business-like tone. Accordingly, Amy straightened and adopted a business-like tone.

_"Second Lieutenant Vita demanded emergency transportation, and preparation of the medical team. It appears that Lieutetant Vita and Lieutenant Takamachi had been attacked by an unknown enemy which," _another screen popped up into the air, _"is now destroyed. It's..." _A falter._ "It's some kind of machine that had been warded. Use of magic had been totally ineffective against it."_

The screen showed the blackened remains of what used to be machine; and Fate could only imagine what it looked like before it was destroyed.

Amy's voice grew hesitant.

_"...It appears that First Lieutenant Takamachi had attempted to shield Lieutenant Vita from a blow by the machine. She had raised a shield, but since __magic was ineffective__..." _

That caught her attention.

"What," Fate said, almost jerkily, before stopping to compose herself, "What is her current condition?"

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

_"First Lieutenant Takamachi has been reported to have severe injuries. A rough scan on the site before transportation revealed she had a broken arm, a twisted leg, a concussion, and great blood loss." _A pause, as Amy craned her head sideways a little as someone called her attention. Then she turned back to the screen, her tone grave.

"_...I have received the latest report from the medical wing."_ Amy bit her lip.

"...And? Come on, stop stalling!" Arf nearly shouted.

_"She's...she's dying."_

There was despair in Limietta's tone, and Fate knew this wasn't a hoax or a bad joke gone wrong in twenty ways.

_"Four of her ribs are broken, and her spine is cracked. She's unconscious, most likely due to the concussion and blood loss. The doctors are trying their best. But in the worst situation - "_

Fate didn't hear anymore. She had started running, the surprised calls from her mother and her familiar so dim in her ears. The certificate that told her she passed the test dropped to the floor forgotten, and she ran like never before.

Nanoha had been fine just the day before. She was smiling. She was laughing.

_And she's dying now._

No.

No.

No!

She suppressed the horrible, horrible image of Nanoha's - _dying_ - state, instead focusing on running. She needed to be there. She wanted to be there. She needed to see for herself.

"Bardiche!"

She couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever.

"_Yes sir_."

Not her.

"Dimensional Transfer. Target: Asura!"

"Setting dimensional coordinates, 678D 872W 2342 1453 1234 4567 234R 354J 23RT."

Nanoha was her sun.

-o-

_"I want us to be friends."_

_She stared. Gawked, actually. _

_Friends. That word was foreign to her._

_Was that girl serious? She didn't - no, couldn't - believe it._

_Red locked onto blue._

_White and black._

_Yin and Yang._

_Two opposing force, two sides of a coin._

_So close and so far._

_"You," she almost said, almost blurted out; but her words were cut short when the sky growled and parted, a streak of lightning that flashed pink striking into the sea. _

_Instinctively she shielded herself from the huge blast of salt water that splashed at her, her heart suddenly beating fast, and she snapped her head up._

_"Mother." _

_The word, foreign yet familiar to her, came from her own lips. A mix of surprise, reverence, love and fear._

_There was another flash of pink light._

_Before she realized it, her flesh was being ripped apart and burned, an electrifying, nauseating jolt searing her from head to toe; she was more startled than hurt, a cry forced out of her lungs in surprise. Then the pain came; the hard, searing pain. It didn't matter how she tried to remain strong or how she tried to force herself to ignore it; it drove every intelligent thought away from her mind, save one. _

_It hurt._

_"Fate-chan!"_

_Relief came as quickly in the form of black-out, even as she felt herself falling, even as the call from the white-garbed mage echoed in her mind._

_The concern and fear FOR her that __she heard in that __tone was the only thing she remembered in the darkness._

-o-

Tears ran down Vita's cheeks. Her blue eyes burned into Fate's nearly blank ones.

"My fault," Vita told her, fists clenched, voice full of fury. "It's all my fault. That idiot...that...that..." Her teeth gritted, and she tasted copper in her mouth. Blood stained her already red armor, turning her front into a darker shade of red.

Fate could not find any words to say.

The door opened, and Shamal stepped in front of them, the two doctors behind her nodding and moving away when Shamal glanced at them.

"Shamal!" Vita literally flew towards Shamal, grabbing at her white coat. "She - how is she?! How's Nanoha?!"

"Vita-chan..." Shamal squeezed the short girl's shoulders lightly, and glanced at Fate, who only stared at her, unspoken question on her lips.

"We have done all we can, Vita-chan, Fate-chan," she said softly, sadly. "And now...it's up to her. If she doesn't survive the night..."

The blonde breathed in sharply, and her burgundy eyes darted to the door.

Vita's fists tightened. "But your specialty is healing! Can't you at least make sure she survives?!"

Dark eyes closed, and Shamal wrapped her hands around the deceptively strong knight. "I'm sorry, Vita-chan." Fate could hear the exhaustion in her voice. She must have channeled her magic non-stop. "There's only so much I can do with my power..."

"...Why? Why?!"

Shamal didn't answer, merely held her tightly.

"Can I..." Fate faltered, glancing at Shamal, "Can I see her?"

Shamal smiled slightly, still sad. "Please do. She will need our support...especially now. We have to help her through the night..." A pause, and her tone grew softer. "And if Nanoha-chan survives tonight; the next few days, weeks, months...even years, may be unbearable. She..." Her voice was choked. "She will need it."

Fate's heart hammered against her chest.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

-o-

_"It's simple."_

_Fate blinked._

_Those blue eyes were happy, and there was an almost impish smile on her lips._

_"To become friends with someone is really simple."_

_The blonde stared, unspoken question sketched onto her features. _

_"You just have to call out her name," a wide smile formed on Nanoha's lips. "That's all you need to do at the beginning. Don't say, 'hey, you', or call her 'that person', just..."_

_The brunette's gaze locked onto hers._

_"...Look straight into her eyes, and clearly say her name."_

_Fate stared. That...simple? But she.._

_Nanoha leaned closer. "I'm Takamachi Nanoha__!" she pressed __on, "So call me Nanoha!"_

_The taller girl could only blink, seeing those expectant, hopeful eyes. "Nano..ha?"_

_"Yes! Just like that!"_

_"Nanoha..."_

_A single feather flew past her. Momentarily surprised, she followed it with burgundy eyes, and wondered where it came from. Raising Heart? But no magic was activated..._

_She turned back to the other girl, and froze. _

_The day had suddenly become dark, she was in her apartment - the lounge - and Nanoha was nowhere to be seen._

_"Nanoha?"_

_Another feather flew past, and there was a soft white__ glow to it. __Her eyes followed its every movement, until the light faded into nothingness when it reached the door...and Nanoha was there, just by the door, smiling warmly at her._

_"Nanoha?" Fate called again, suddenly uneasy._

_The brunette waved a little, a hand opening the wooden door._

_"Ja ne, Fate-chan."_

_The blonde wasn't entirely sure why she ran then, towards the other girl, calling out her name._

_Nanoha stepped out of the door, and by the time __Fate reached it, all she could see __was darkness._

_Then there was a gust of feathers, dancing intricately in a swirl of warm white light. _

-o-

Fate woke up to see Lindy's face - Lindy's kind, sympathetic eyes on her.

She forced her fuzzy brain to wake up, blinking a few times. What...

The vision of Nanoha, her smiling face, and the small wave of hand flashed in her mind.

Nanoha...! Her gaze darted to the bed, heart pounding.

She didn't know why, but she needed the reassurance that the brunette was there. She needed...needed...

She needed to know her best friend was _alive_.

Nanoha's eyes were closed, a peaceful look on her face. A clean bandage had been wrapped over her head. There was an air mask over her nose and mouth, and Fate saw wisps of moisture formed from even breathing on the mask before disappearing. Her trained ears heard the soft beeps from the machine on the other side of the bed, green lines darting up and down the screen in swift, repetitive motions.

"Fate-chan," Lindy told her softly, almost reprimanding, "You shouldn't sleep here. You will get a cold." A finger reached out to wipe her cheeks, which had stains of water.

Water? What...

"Bad dream?" asked her mother, her hands reaching around the young blonde.

Dream?

Something felt heavy in her chest, and she couldn't explain it. Her mother held her close.

...what had she dreamed about?

Her vision blurred in the dim light of the hospital room, and tears trickled down her cheeks for reasons she couldn't comprehend.

What had she dreamt of?

-o-

A/N.

Heh. I originally wanted this to be a (long) one shot, but it turned out to be a little longer than I expected. I don't really fancy writing long fics, and this one should be wrapped up by the next chapter - or third, at most. Or at least I hope so.

Now, that said, I will have to admit the idea about feathers flying around wasn't exactly my own original idea. I wish it was, but it's not. It's from another fic from a different anime that was my favorite. I've only just noticed what I wrote is similar after reading over it. It's not really a big thing...though I do feel a little uncomfortable using people's ideas just like that. -gnaws at table- I tried thinking of other ideas...but once I thought of something, I'm usually stuck on it like a leech. So all disclaimers apply here, and I sincerely hope no one will try to fire or flame me for this.

And this is pretty much the first time I'm writing eleven year old kids. So it's a little more different than my usual fare of stuff...I've been having a hard time balancing her reactions and reminding myself she's eleven and not sixteen and above.

Lastly, my thanks to guubear for looking this over briefly.

And reviews, my dear readers, will be very inspiring. -nudgewinknudgewink-


	2. II

Posted: 20/06/2007  
1st Revision: 27/06/2007 (Beta-ed.)

Because Wolkenreitter (Belka Knight's) devices speak German and not English originally, just that the fan subs decided to use English phrases - I will use the German phrases as well, to follow canon. Translations for those used in this chapter listed as follow (ganked from Wikipedia):

_Nachladen - _Reloading cartridge for Laevatein.  
_Panzer Geist_ - Creates a defensive aura, which surrounds Signum.

Same thing applies here. If you would like the song below, drop me a pm or contact me by other methods mentioned before.

-o-

_**Feathers**_  
_Part II  
_

_"Namae wo Yonde"  
- Donna Burke & Kevin J. England, MGLN OST._

_Call my name._

-o-

_"...Lack of concentration, misspells, wrong judgments, and hesitations at key points of the mission." Papers were slammed on to the table. "It was a total disaster."_

_"Yes."_

_"An enforcer cannot rule her head with her heart. An enforcer needs to be calm at all times, __and to look __at a situation objectively. Both which you, Lieutenant Fate Testarossa-Harlaown, fail at. Miserably."_

_"Yes." _

_Leti Loulan - the only one who had yet to say anything - studied the blonde in front of her for a moment, hands clasped together, elbows resting on the table. She glanced at the two men beside her, and they only shook their heads. _

_Then her eyebrows creased, and she let out a small sigh, before returning her gaze to the blonde._

_"I'm sorry, Lieutenant__." Her voice was quiet; her eyes - so similar to Lindy's, despite the different color – were calm and cool_. _"You have failed."_

_"...Yes." Mindless obedience._

-o-

Hayate studied the serene profile on the bed, brushing away stray locks of brown hair that lingered over Nanoha's closed eye.

"Ne, Nanoha-chan?" The dark chocolate-haired girl said, softly, as if the sleeping girl could hear her. "Today...Ishida-sensei said I no longer have to return to the hospital for further treatment." There was no happiness in her sober voice. "I can walk and run like a normal person now. Hundred percent cured." Strained cheeriness. "Look!"

The once-crippled girl paused, her eyes lingering over the still form. She waited, hoping for a smile or congratulation from the sleeping girl that would never come.

For a few seconds, even minutes, only the repetitive beeps of the machine answered her.

The girl chuckled, an almost forced sound. "...You are not being fair, Nanoha-chan. You said we would celebrate my leave from the hospital together."

There was another long pause before Hayate spoke again, a sad smile on her face.

"But I will forgive you if you wake up." It was a request that was nearly impossible, Hayate knew. But she hoped against hope. "Wake up...please?"

The blue eyes did not open, and the lips did not move to move to form a smile that Hayate would recognize so easily.

Absolute stillness.

Hayate reached for Nanoha's inanimate and cold hand, grasping it gently.

"Did you know Fate-chan failed the enforcer's test?" she asked the sleeping girl, an almost wearily amused tone adorning her soft voice. "Knowing her, she probably wouldn't tell you. She..." A falter. "She's not doing very well now, Nanoha-chan. Not since you fell into a comatose state..."

Her hold on Nanoha's hand tightened a little. "She needs you, Nanoha-chan. We all need you."

Only the steady, repetitive beeps from the machine opposite of the bed responded.

"...Won't you wake up?"

-o-

_"The good news is she survived the night," Shamal looked at the papers in front of her, voice quiet and exhausted._

_"...And the bad?" Chrono asked the question no one was willing to ask. _

_There was a minute of silence before the blonde knight replied. "Despite Vita-chan's handiwork__ on that machinery which nearly destroyed every clue that could be found...a few things were revealed. The wards on the machine - they weren't as strong as we thought it to be." A pause. "In fact, it should not have affected Nanoha-chan's shield __so quickly. You said her shield dissolved upon impact, Vita-chan?"_

_"...Yeah," Vita muttered, fists clenched. "I couldn't believe it. It happened so quickly." Her blue eyes glared at the floor. "It was like it got shattered the moment those wards touched it."_

_Shamal nodded. "And her magic attacks did not have much of an effect, either. Despite the wards, she is not such a weak mage that her shield would so easily break..." Her eyes scanned the papers on the table briefly, before closing. Her voice grew sad. "We should have noticed."_

_Chrono's gaze was regretful. "So it's really..."_

_"Yes. She had used too much magic. The stress of using__ magic has_ _only grown __on her small frame for the past two years..."_

_Arf shook her head, her voice raised and frustrated. "Are you serious?" _

_"What happened at the site was proof enough," Shamal said quietly, before changing the topic. "Her injuries are already healing; I have __cast healing spells over her between __intervals of time." That explained the exhaustion in her voice. "However...for the ones that have already dealt their damage, I can do nothing." Her pained eyes looked at a momentarily surprised Hayate with those words. _

_"It...it was the same for you, Hayate-chan. Because the Book of __Darkness had already taken __away your ability to walk, I..."_

_Signum squeezed her shoulder gently, and Shamal took in a deep breath._

_"The problem is the concussion she received, and the loss of blood." Shamal said, leaning against the black chair, shoulders slumped slightly. "She had lost too much blood, __and for a time there was no blood __circulation in her brain." A pause, and Shamal looked away. "...Too long a time."_

_Her voice trembled. _

_"...We...we don't know if she will ever wake up."_

_Stunned silence met her despairing tone._

_Deep purple eyes glanced at Nanoha from the window that separated the two rooms, watching her still form._

_Shamal took in another breath. "And even if she does...we do not know if she will be able to walk again." A pause. "There was a crack in her spine." Her voice became a whisper. "And her nerve was nearly severed in the process. It...I...the crack has been mended, but the damage was...already dealt."_

_The blonde doctor didn't know what else she could say. _

_In the end, to the silence that greeted her, she said this._

_"...I'm sorry."_

-o-

There were two swift raps on the door.

"...Hayate."

Said brunette turned around. "Ah! ...Hey, Vita-chan, Signum."

Sky blue eyes glanced at the bed. "Anything?"

Hayate's gaze was sad, and she shook her head.

"...I see." Vita's eyes turned to the floor, and Signum ruffled the younger knight's hair lightly.

Silence filled the air, before soft footsteps alerted them to another presence.

A long pause.

"...Hey."

Fate gave them a half-hearted smile.

She walked past the two Belka Knights, adjusted the position of the empty chair by the bed, and sat on it.

A place she had occupied almost every second of the day, when she was free. Her hands were clasped together, resting on her lap.

For a few long moments, no one disturbed the silence, until Hayate broke it, glancing out of the window.

"It's been almost two weeks...right?"

The evening sky was bright and clear, hints of yellow and orange seeping into the clouds.

"Yes."

It would have been a beautiful sight.

"Two weeks since that incident..."

"...Yes."

Hayate's gaze turned back to the sleeping girl. "I wonder if Nanoha-chan will ever wake up?"

Fate's grasp tightened.

"...She _has_ to." Her reply was soft, so soft; but all of them heard it, heard the desperation, the pain, the sadness.

Signum glanced at her, and took only a moment to decide.

"Testarossa," she called, crossing her hands. "A moment?"

-o-

Her collar was tugged sharply, and she crashed into the wall of the roof.

The blonde winced.

The crisp sound of a sword cutting into the air made Fate snap her head up, and it was only her instincts that saved her.

Before she knew it, she was a half a meter away from where she had been, Bardiche forming in her hand, and Laevatein making a five inch indentation in the wall that ran jagged all the way to the floor.

"_Knight Armor._"

An aura that burned pink surrounded Signum, and her armor materialized.

Likewise, Bardiche responded. "_Lightning Form._"

Light cackled around Fate's body, and black protective armor replaced her clothes.

"Signum! What are you - "

Blue eyes were suddenly piercing into hers, bare centimeters between them. "You are dropping your guard."

"_Defenser_."

Sword and scythe clashed, lavender and yellow shields flashing as they jarred together.

A stand-off.

Signum's eyes narrowed.

"Laevatein."

"_Nachladen_."

Laevatein hissed as its cartridge compartment snapped open and shut, and Signum drew her sword back swiftly, dealing another blow.

Fate's shield shattered without warning, and the impact sent her slamming into the railings of the roof, before slumping to the ground.

"...How disappointing, Testarossa."

Signum didn't move from where she was, blue eyes cold.

The blonde gritted her teeth, willing the pin and needles on her back to be gone.

"Only one blow and you are down?" There was no trace of mockery in that tone, but Fate still felt it.

"What are you - "

"That girl was weak," Signum cut her off.

There were not many things that would make a certain blonde's blood boil, but Signum seemed to know one of them.

"She's comatose now because she overtaxed herself, Testarossa. She did not know her limits."

"Signum," Fate said almost dangerously, fury rising deep in her. "Do not speak of her that way."

The pink haired woman had the nerve to smirk. "Or what?" There was condescension in her cold voice. "What will a disappointment like you do, Testarossa?"

"_Signum_." Her tone bordered on murderous, daring the other to continue.

A dare that the older woman willingly took.

"One must always know her limits, Testarossa. Takamachi didn't know that." A pause, before Signum continued thoughtfully. "Then again, she might have known it. Vita did say that Takamachi apologized for overdoing it. And she paid the price for it. For two weeks she did not wake up, and she is crippled. We don't even know if she will ever wake up."

Burgundy eyes darkened.

Signum wasn't done. "And do you know what that makes her, Testarossa, for overdoing it?"

"I am not - " Fate started, furiously trying to ebb the anger boiling deep in her, but the other cut her off.

"A_ fool_, Testarossa."

Fate gripped her weapon tightly.

"_Haken Saber._"

Bright yellow sparks formed on the edge of Bardiche, before it zipped, extending front and back, flashing yellow.

She stood, her motions wavering as if she was about to fall, before she swung her weapon, and charged.

"_Haken Slash_."

"_Panzer Geist_."

Weapons clashed again.

"How _dare_ you..." Fate snarled.

"No," countered Signum. "How dare _you_."

"Wh - "

Before she knew it, Signum's form blurred and appeared behind her.

"_Defenser_."

Transparent yellow barrier flared; but Signum, with one swift, slashing motion, broke through it.

"Nghh..!"

Pain flared through Fate's body as she skid down the ground.

"What's this?" Signum asked, a hint of irony in her voice. "I was faster than you? Speed should be your forte, Testarossa."

The pink haired woman raised her sword, and brought it down with a crisp, clear sound of cutting air - and Laevatein stopped short just before cutting into Fate, hovering just by the blonde's neck.

"Twice. You have allowed me to break through your shield twice." Scorn filled her voice. "Bardiche is powered by your spirit, Testarossa. So what does that say about you now?"

The blonde glared in reply.

"Glaring will do nothing," Signum informed her, unaffected. "Is this how you intend to honor her?"

At that question, Fate blinked.

"Takamachi saved your life, helped you regain yourself, and is this how _you_ repay her?" Cold blue eyes pierced into startled red. "I have heard of a few interesting events that happened between you and that girl, Testarossa."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Are you that dense?" The mockery came back in full force. "For the past two weeks, all you have done is mope around like a spoiled brat. You failed your exams, _twice_, just because she's comatose. I did not expect that from you, Testarossa. I don't think Takamachi would have expected it either."

A hint of realization seeped into those burgundy eyes.

"This is how you will act, Testarossa?" Signum asked, almost curiously. "This is how you will honor her, your supposedly best friend?"

No words would come to Fate, stunned as she was.

"...I fear what she what she would think if she saw you like this, Testarossa."

The blonde gritted her teeth, eyes flashing.

Laevatein was suddenly shaking.

Blood dripped to the floor.

Signum's gaze softened just a little.

"...Now that's a good look in your eyes, Testarossa."

Burgundy eyes, defiant and determined, stared up at her.

Fate's gloved fist was wrapped tightly around the edge of the sword, and blood trickled down her hand.

The blonde girl stood slowly, and Signum backed a step as Laevatein was released.

The sharp, throbbing pain on her palm was reassuring, somehow.

"My apologies, Signum." Her other hand held Bardiche in a firm grip, pointing it at Signum.

The blood that continued to spill on the floor was ignored.

She fell back into an ever so familiar stance, the scythe in place.

"...Let us continue."

Signum almost smiled.

Sword and scythe clashed again; a different, vibrating sound echoing on the roof.

Two little balls of light; one yellow, one lavender; danced in the air as they joined and parted with sharp flashes.

Swift, precise, elegant and graceful.

A beautiful dance of lights.

-o-

_Nanoha._

_Seeing you there, motionless, hurts._

_It really hurts._

_I want to look into that pair of blue eyes._

_I want to see your smile._

_I want to feel your warmth._

_I want to hear you say my name again._

"Please. Let me take the exams again!"

At that request, Leti Loulan raised an eyebrow and studied the blonde in front of her. The bandage around Fate's palm was tactfully ignored.

There was a new light in those burgundy eyes, one that Leti hadn't seen before.

Leti almost smiled, but instead said, "When you failed it the first time, Admiral Harlaown requested that you be allowed to retake it. But you failed again." Her gaze narrowed. "You are aware that the exam only happens every six months?"

"...Yes, I'm aware."

"Then?"

"I'm..." The young mage stopped, and took in a deep breath. "I apologize for the trouble I caused before. I was...behaving foolishly. I won't act that way ever again. Definitely."

Despite herself, the purple haired woman smiled. "You have failed both times, and you wish to take it again so quickly?" A pause, before she added. "Don't you think you should train a little more?"

Fate looked up at Leti.

Her gaze was firm.

"I'm ready."

"...If you fail this time, I will not allow you to take it again. There are only so many times one can be allowed to retake the exam, and you," she said pointedly, "are asking for a _third_ try. A third time in such a brief period of two weeks is unheard of, Fate." Leti's tone was dead serious. "Saying yes, here and now, would mean you understand the consequences of your action." She paused, allowing the information to sink in. "...Are you absolutely sure?"

The reply came two seconds later.

"Yes." Absolute certainty.

-o-

_...Ne, Nanoha?_

_You were my first friend._

_You are my most precious person._

_So I will wait._

_I will wait until you wake up, and call my name again._

_I believe you will wake up._

_So wake up soon._

_Please._

-o-

Unbeknownst to anyone, in a dark hospital room that held only one occupant, a finger twitched.

It only twitched, before stilling; and only the sound of faint, even breathing and repetitive beeps of the machine filled the room.

But it was a sign.

-o-

A/N:

...Looks like there will be a third, probably shorter, chapter after all.

First thing's first. My thanks to ikka (Icarisain) for informing me about the error about 'head concussion' to 'concussion'. It is now fixed. I remember making that mistake before sometime long, long ago, but it completely slipped my mind. Heh. _-sweatdrops-_

And secondly, I just _knew_ I would regret saying the few things about me trying to follow as canon as possible. It completely ruined the drama and suspense for you guys. Since Nanoha (almost) didn't die. D:

Meh. I suppose it's too late now.

Where Fate's characterization is concerned, I hope it made sense. I am aware she's not the type who would get angry so easily...but this situation is rather different, yes? She's also not exactly in the right mindset, and Signum preyed on that. Not to mention she's still eleven. Can't expect her to be able to stay perfectly sane or logical if someone close to her is on the deathbed.

Cheers.  
-eagle


	3. III

Posted: 17/07/2007

I will say whatever I want down there after your read, methinks. Several japanese translations here, however.

_Baka - _Idiot.  
_Kaa-san - _mother  
_Ja matta ne - _See you again

And lastly, enjoy the finale.

-o-

_**Feathers**  
Part III_

_"Kono Hiroi Sekai Ni"  
- Donna Burke & Kevin J. England, MGLN OST._

_In this wide world._

-o-

Fate studied the figure on the bed.

Keen ears captured the sound of even breathing. There was no air mask placed on Nanoha any more, and the bandage - once soaked with blood - was no longer wrapped around the brunette's head.

She was healing rapidly, and it was mostly thanks to Shamal. Broken bones had been mended, and the cuts and burns were now faint scars that would soon disappear.

Long brown hair spilled around her, reaching halfway past the shoulders.

Her hair was getting long, Fate noted absently.

The room was airy and cool. Before, Nanoha had been placed in a ward for patients in critical state, and no windows could be opened. It had almost been stuffy, and it smelled of death. But now, she was in a normal ward, and everything about the room seemed to have lightened. There was no beeping machine, no wires and tubes surrounding her, no bandages wrapped around her body...

Just her, the blanket covering her, and the soft light of the orange sky soaking into her skin.

A brief smile flickered on Fate's lips as she sat.

"Nanoha," she said quietly, reaching for the other's still hand, grasping it gently. "I passed the enforcer's exam today."

There was a pause before she added. "It's my third try. The past two exams...I failed them."

Silence.

Fate continued, as if she was answering a question that never came. "I was too busy moping," admitted the blonde. "When I heard you were dying, I...I couldn't think. I couldn't do anything."

A chuckle. "Were you expecting that, Nanoha?"

The blonde half-expected Nanoha to suddenly spring up and scold her for moping around the past weeks.

But of course, there was no reaction.

"But...you know, Nanoha, I won't do that anymore." Fate said softly. Her hold on Nanoha's hand tightened a little. "I passed the exam. That means I will be a lot busier now."

A pause. A long pause.

"...And today's the last time I will visit you, Nanoha."

The wind blew softly, and Fate brushed away a stray hair that covered Nanoha's closed eye.

"Want to know why?"

There was no response, but the blonde continued as if there had been one.

"The next time we meet," Fate smiled a little, "I want to hear you say my name."

A brief silence.

"I don't care how long it takes, Nanoha. Days...weeks, months, years..."

Fingers intertwined with Nanoha's own.

"Until the day you wake up, I won't come here." she said softly. "So wake up soon. And call my name."

The phone in Fate's pocket rang once, twice, and stopped.

Releasing the other's still hand, she retrieved the phone from her pocket, and flipped it open.

It was a text message from Lindy. It took only a moment for Fate to read it, before she shut the phone.

Burgundy eyes glanced at Nanoha.

"The message was from kaa-san," she told the sleeping girl, slight amusement in her tone. "She wants me to come back for dinner. Apparently there's a feast, though I'm not sure what's on the table."

Eyes swept over the still figure once, ingraining everything in her mind, before returning to look at her face.

"I'm sorry this visit was so short, Nanoha." A smile flitted past Fate's features. "...But when you wake up, I will definitely come a lot more often. So until then..."

The girl stared at that sleeping face for one long moment; that ever so familiar, gentle expression.

"..._Ja matta ne_, Nanoha."

The wind ruffled her long blonde hair lightly in reply, and she stood.

Fate turned and left.

She didn't look back.

The breeze was soothing, and the orange sun was warming.

It was a beautiful evening.

-o-

_Vita, unsurprisingly, was a daily visitor to the ward; sometimes accompanied by the other Belka Knights, sometimes by other friends and family of Nanoha. They all came by frequently, to visit Nanoha, to brighten up the room, and to tell stories of daily happenings._

_And Fate, true to her words, no longer came. She had been immersed in work and training._

_She had also cheered up considerably, no longer walking around like a zombie; much to her family's relief._

_To the current date, __there were only __two occasions when she visited Nanoha. _

_One was when the results of the exam were announced._

_And the other...was when Nanoha woke up._

_Contrary to what most would have thought, what happened later was anti-climatic._

_When her eyes finally opened, it was two weeks after that one time Fate visited. _

_The news had spread with the speed of sound. Most, aside from those who could not avoid work, had streamed in and out of the room on that day itself, be it for five minutes, ten, an hour or even nearly the whole day. There was no fanfare, no celebrations, nothing; just quiet, well-meaning wishes and encouragements from friends and family. _

_Her current condition had also been quietly revealed to her by Shamal, but Nanoha took it in a stride. Seeing the confused gazes that surrounded her, her reply was to offer a benign smile, and say__, "It's myself, after all. I know my body better than anyone else." She also apologized for the trouble, and Vita looked as if she wanted so badly to hit and hug her all the same - a look mirrored, though more subtly, by the others in the room then._

_In the end,__ it was the latter that Vita did, encouraged quietly by Hayate; though she never stopped scolding "BAKA!", crying all the while._

_And Fate__...she hadn't been around when Nanoha woke. She didn't even visit until much later that day, when everyone else had come and gone._

_And when they met; __there _were _no hugs__, no kisses, nothing of that sort. The blonde didn't tackle the __girl on_ _sight, nor did Nanoha so much as move._

_It was just Fate standing by the door; and Nanoha sitting on the bed, distant eyes gazing at the night sky. _

_The blonde had smiled, eyes brimming with tears. Her words were simple, but emotions were plainly there. _

_"Welcome back."_

_Nanoha smiled too, slate blue eyes sparkling and warm when she turned to meet Fate's gaze._

_"I'm back...Fate-chan."_

_The same smile that never changed._

_"Nanoha."_

-o-

_It's strange, really._

_Life's like that. There are always joy and laughter, but there's also sadness and despair. _

_Whatever happens, life goes on. It wasn't always easy. _

_Sometimes it was exhausting. _

_Sometimes it was painful. _

_Sometimes it was saddening._

_And watching Nanoha struggle to live, fighting for her life on the deathbed; then to only be a spectator when she struggled to learn how to walk again...I wanted so badly to help her, but I was powerless. All I could do__ was watch when she almost died, and continue to watch as she struggled to walk. _

_It was hard. _

_But she told me that it was enough. 'Just watch me,' she said, not quite in words but not quite in actions. _

_It was as if my mere presence was already helping her. There was mischief in her smile, but her eyes were serious. _

_So I will watch. Even if it hurts to watch, I will watch._

_If she stumbles, I will catch her. If she falls, I will grab her hand and pull her up. _

_She tells me she will do the same. _

_It was hard and it was painful, but we were, and still are, happy._

_It's really ridiculously simple. _

_To gain joy and happiness __doesn't necessarily __mean giving and receiving. _

_It could be something far more simple; and there was one that suited us both fine. _

_To be by each other's side. _

_It wasn't at all that easy, and we were like little children stumbling blindly in the darkness._

_There are times we trip and fall, get hurt and annoyed, and times we forget ourselves, but we continue. _

_We learn. _

_And that's...enough. _

-o-

"Fate-chan!"

Said girl was still blinking blearily, trying to distinguish between dream and reality.

"Come on, wake up!"

Despite her sleep-befuddled mind, her ears caught the sound of clothes rustling; and she turned her head to look at the source of the noise, a hand shading her burgundy eyes from the glare of the sunlight.

Nanoha had just finished buttoning up her shirt and picking up her white and blue jacket, which was folded neatly on the bed. She was standing on her own two feet, her back facing the blonde. It was a perfect posture for a normal girl. Not lop-sided, not...crippled.

"I know it's your off-day, Fate-chan," the combat instructor was saying, but her brain was still too sleepy to properly process that. "But you shouldn't sleep too long. You will ruin your sleeping timetable."

The brown haired girl, with hands snaking through her jacket sleeves, glanced at Fate.

The blonde just stared, a blank look in her eyes.

Nanoha sighed, and climbed up onto the bed, one hand moving to shake her lightly.

"Fate-chan!"

Despite Nanoha's obvious efforts, she felt tired. She wanted to sleep again, for some odd reason.

"Mou..." There was a slight whine in the brown-haired girl's tone.

"_Master,_" Raising Heart called from the dressing table, and the brunette glanced at it. "_It is already 7.15 AM."_

"Ah, I'm going to be late!" Nanoha turned to give Fate a half-hearted glare. "Don't sleep too long, you! I got to go now."

She moved to leave from the bed, the blonde watching blearily all the while.

Nanoha was leaving for work.

She was leaving.

_Leaving. _

Unease suddenly rose in her chest.

"Nanoha...!" Her hand reached out to grab the brunette's wrist instinctively, and she sat up instantly.

Blue eyes blinked at her.

A brief silence fell, before Nanoha asked. "Fate-chan?"

It jerked the blonde out of her trance-like state, and her cheeks blazed as she realized what she had just done. She released the other quickly. "A-ah...sorry." She fell back down to the bed, a hand lifting to cover her eyes, hiding from Nanoha's curious gaze.

"What's wrong?" Concern.

"It's...it's nothing," mumbled Fate, all the while mentally berating herself.

"Really?" That tone was clearly conveying disbelief.

"...Really. Go to work."

There was a pause before weight shifted on the bed, and she almost breathed a relieved sigh. Nanoha wasn't about to ask anything else.

But when Fate felt a shadow loom over her, she peeked from the little openings between her fingers to check.

Nanoha was right above her, hands locking the blonde in the middle, blue eyes glaring. For a second, the blonde could only blink as Nanoha unceremoniously removed the hand covering her face.

"...Nanoha...?" she asked hesitantly, almost afraid. The brunette's grip on her hand was firm. "What - "

"I don't believe you," the other cut in curtly, frowning. She leaned closer, and Fate pressed deeper into the pillow, as far as she could. Which was, predictably, very little.

"A-ah..it's..um...well...it's...nothing. Really." Fate tried to muster some conviction into her startled tone, failing miserably.

A skeptical look was sketched onto Nanoha's face.

"Really?"

"Really. You are going to be late for work, Nanoha," pointed out the blonde helpfully, trying to wiggle her hand free from the other's hold. One that Nanoha didn't let go, firm but gentle.

A brown eyebrow twitched, before an impish glint flitted past in those blue eyes. "Nope, I'm not going."

"What? Why?"

"Raising Heart, please inform them that I am sick today, and to go through schedule C-5 for today's training. Send my apologies to Vita-chan too please."

"_All right, my master_."

Slate blue eyes turned back to her, almost glaring.

"..N..Nanoha...?" Fate faltered. It was that certain_ look _again, and the blonde could never tell what Nanoha was planning when there was that look in her eyes.

The brunette leaned back a little, and did release her hand this time.

Fate had very good reasons to be afraid now, especially when she was suddenly aware of the fact that both her legs had been pinned to the bed with Nanoha's own over them.

But she didn't have long to contemplate it, as the attack came.

"Wha! Na - wait..! Stop! Ahah...Nanoha! That's - ahaha - "

Fingers were dancing along her ribs, poking into sensitive spots mercilessly.

Nanoha was tickling her. Literally.

"Na - hahah - noha!" Desperate now, and beginning to lack air, the blonde gathered whatever strength she could, which slipped away every time a sensitive side was poked. She also tried to grab Nanoha's hands, but they were, ironically, too quick for the lightning mage to catch.

"That's - ahahh - enough!"

Fate mustered the strength to lift her legs up - which lifted Nanoha's legs up as well - and made the instructor lose balance. Taking the chance, the blonde flipped the brunette - who gave an undignified yelp - over.

In an instant, Fate was above her, hands pinning Nanoha's wrists just a little above her head.

The combat instructor resisted for a second, but Fate tightened her grip. Realizing the blonde wasn't about to give in anytime soon, Nanoha sighed and gave in. Fate had always been superior to her when it came down to hand-to-hand combat, and neither was oblivious to that fact.

The blonde enforcer took the opportunity to suck in air, panting for breath.

Impish blue eyes looked into flustered burgundy.

"You..." The blonde tried to search for the right word to reprimand with, but could not find one. In the end, she tried glaring at the girl below her, but it didn't quite turn out to be a glare. It was half-amused, and half-exasperated. "What was that for?"

Nanoha stuck her tongue out at the blonde in that ever so familiar childish motion, despite the fact she was nineteen now. "Punishment for you!"

"Punishment?" repeated Fate, bewilderment marking her tone. "Punishment for what?"

The brunette arched an eyebrow. "You don't know?" She tsked. "Fate-chan..."

Blonde eyebrows twitched. "I don't know, Nanoha. Tell me...please?"

"Hmm, I wonder what should I do?" Nanoha teased, holding back the information.

"Nanoha!" Fate visibly resisted the urge to return the favor of tickling the girl beneath her.

"That's because..." The brunette paused dramatically.

"...Because?" repeated the other, suspicious. And despite herself, curious. It wasn't every day that Nanoha would tickle her and claim it was punishment.

Then Nanoha smiled warmly, to her surprise and wonder.

"Because...you forget that you are not alone, Fate-chan."

Fate blinked.

"I'm here," the brunette said, voice soft but serious, "Hayate-chan, Arf-san, Chrono-kun, Lindy-san...and so many more. We are all by your side." A pause. "You are not alone, Fate-chan."

The blonde just stared, unsure of what Nanoha was trying to say.

"So even though you tell me to leave for work," continued the brunette, "How could I, when your eyes tell me you want me to stay?"

_Ah..._

Realization sunk in those burgundy eyes.

Not missing the chance, Nanoha disengaged her hands from Fate's loosened hold, reaching up to caress her cheeks.

_Always so easily_, thought the blonde; even as she felt warm, gentle fingers on her face.

Her vision blurred, though she didn't know why.

A slender finger wiped away a tear that trickled down her face.

"See?" The brunette said quietly, almost teasingly. She poked the blonde's cheek. "You're crying."

_So easily you chase away my fear_

"No I'm not," protested Fate feebly, grabbing the offending hand. "I'm just..."

_And stake your claim at a place where I cannot hide..._

Just what was it anyway?

Truth to tell, she didn't really know.

_And then..._

Her fingers traced over the faint scar on Nanoha's palm absently, one which would soon disappear.

"...I just had a bad dream." The dream was already fading into the back of her mind, and she couldn't remember much.

It was silly, really. Fate, more than anyone else, knew that Nanoha was capable of taking care of herself. But that didn't mean she would ever be rid of the worry and fear for the other girl. Especially that day, when Nanoha released her staff to take Teana's and Subaru's attacks bare-handed...

"A dream?"

Hands wrapped around Fate's neck, fingers buried under the blonde hair.

"Mmn." She managed a smile. "A dream of the past."

"Are you sure?"

Their foreheads touched.

"I'm sure."

The next time their faces closed, it wasn't their foreheads that touched.

_And then you would show me warmth._

_Nanoha._

-o-

A/N:

The end.

Heh. Well, first of all, I'm sorry I didn't change the genre to romance in the end. I honestly wanted to, but the above scene alone isn't enough to constitute romance. For me, at least. I'm kinda picky when it comes to these stuff. And above all, I'm more concerned with characterization if you want me to compare with some random kissing and cuddling scenes. Cause, if I were to create some random romance out of the blue, but butchering the characters in the process, may as well I create some new characters...no?

Secondly, it has come to my knowledge about some stuff where military ranking is concerned - my thanks to ikka again - lieutenant seems to be a too high a rank for Fate at the moment, or that there might be no such thing for an enforcer/instructor? Honestly, MGLN had been rather vague where military ranking is concerned, so...meh. Not to mention I can't remember much about military ranking system, nor could I be bothered that much to find out more due to laziness and lack of interest in military. So no changes were made, but, given that MGLN may sooner fix that in coming StrikerS episodes, and if I feel...not-so-lazy, I may come back to fix them.

There were also some minor issues about medical situations but... -_squints_- ...I prefer not to go indepth with medical stuff unless if I really, really know the matter in question. Hence some vagueness. Hence cracked spine instead of spinal cord and...some other misc stuff.

Third, I am happy to inform all of you that I managed to coerce my beta into watching MGLN, and into a particular pairing that I favor as well, so _Feathers_ have been beta-read. Various things, from sentence flow to grammar had been tweaked/fixed, except for the ones both of us missed. It's also partly why this chapter was late, even if it had been done nearly a month ago - and subsequent reasons were due to laziness and busy days. So...-_sweatdrops- _...heh? Sorry.

On the other hand, I am not so happy to inform you my good deed of the (past) day had been backfiring. She's been trying to coerce _me_ into writing a _multi-chapter _fic, which would be my absolute _**nightmare**_. Gah. Whatever I do comes back to bite me, I swear. I have written one or two random scenes for that potential fic as well - one of them is posted in my livejournal - which is not very good news for me.

Well, that said, my kudos to Syaoran Li Clow who noticed - or felt as I do - that Feathers can only be a three-parter, with no subsequent chapters. I suppose it's possible, but then it did be some random scenes of Fate training and investigating stuff. Nanoha is asleep and will not be moving from the bed, and writing her sleeping and describing her features to no one in particular would have been...meh, I dunno, mundane? So...this will be all.

Another thanks goes to ikka again. XD The above phrase, '_Kono hiroi sekai ni',_ was translated by her, truly. Knowing a japanese translator is really helpful sometimes, yes?

Neeeeeeeeext, I have some self-promotion to do. Another three-parter, titled '_White Devil'_ for several obvious reasons you can probably guess, will make its debut soon. I won't say when for sure, given how the work schedule between my beta and I tend to be inconsistent, but it will be up. By next month, at least. A blurb about it had been posted in my bio - and no, this is not the multi-chapter fic in question, so there's an entirely different scenario in my livejournal. By multi-chapter fics, I usually mean fics with a span of ten chapters or more. I will also be updating my bio when I can, as it is currently the most convenient way to update the bunch of you on the status of whatever stories I have. It won't be daily, but it will be updated now and then as I go along.

And lastly...

...The author notes is too long. Erm. Lol? -_coughs_- Well, as my last note, I give my thanks to the readers who were patiently waiting for this, and put up with reading this long author's notes as well. I hope it's been an enjoyable read for all of you. :) I understand that some of you would have liked me to go more in depth with Nanoha and her rehabilitation...but I'm afraid I don't think there's any place here for it. In a somesort sequel, perhaps, but not here. And don't count on it. I found Nanoha to be much more harder to write in comparison to Fate, for several reasons. So the percentage of such fic appearing is close to nil.

All in all...

_Ja matta_. :p  
-Eagle


End file.
